Saturday, August 16, 2014

PLEASE MEET ANOTHER RISING ACTOR FROM MY OWN CHILDHOOD HOME TOWN OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA -

COURTNEY FURNELL

1
Please tell us a
little bit about your background;

A: I was born and
grew up in Adelaide. I have a pretty complex family background, but the simple version - I’m the eldest, with two younger brothers. Beau is twenty seven and D’Arcy is twenty two and I have two beautiful parents; Mignon and Darcy. We moved around a little
when I was younger, so I went to two different primary schools and two
different high schools. I failed Year twelve the first year around by just one point,
so I went back to get my High School Equivalency.

2
You are an
actor. Have you always wanted to be an
entertainer or did you aspire to be something else when you were younger?

A: Ever since I can
remember I’ve loved “playing pretend”, but then again, what kid hasn’t? I started
taking drama classes when I was about nine or ten. My mum would look into local
theatre groups which offered classes and then that’s what I chose to do as my
extra curricular. I was involved in probably two or three different drama centres
until I was thirteen. During high school I continued with some acting classes and
took part in all drama productions. After high school I showed an interest in
the behind-the-scenes side of TV & Film; ultimately falling back into acting
though.

The simple answer
is - yes, I have always wanted to be an entertainer of some description.

3
Is anyone else in
your family and/or relations in entertainment?

A: No.

4
Have you been
professionally trained in acting?

A: I have just been
accepted into an acting school opening its doors in Adelaide. Up until now, I
have taken part in professional acting classes.

5Are you
professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

A: I have an agent.
But I am yet to be “professionally” managed.

6
What have you
appeared in?

A: I haven’t appeared
in anything yet. I’m a real “newbie”, but I’m excited about that.

7
Have you worked
alongside any well-known names?

A: No. Well, unless
you count performing with them in several high school drama productions.

A: I feel like most
people have been bullied in some way. I certainly wasn’t the worst case in any
school I attended and I never felt as though I couldn’t go to school because of
it. If I wasn’t in drama class, I feel like it could have been worse, but
through drama I made a lot of friends from different “cliques”. I was what I
would describe as a “drifter”. I didn’t have a group of certain friends - I just
floated from group to group. There were a fair amount of people throughout
school that thought I was weird and would make fun of me behind my back for it.
I just marched to the beat of my own drum and upon reflection I didn’t care
what anyone thought. Though, I can admit I was a “people pleaser” - all I wanted
is for everyone to like me. It took me too long to realise that was never going
to be possible.

I do realise that
bullying doesn’t just take place in school. It can take place anywhere at any
time in life.

10
Whether you have
been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the
world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

A: I don’t think
there is ever anything anyone can do that would be ENOUGH. There is certainly
always more than can be done. I feel
that by what we see on the news there is a lot more that can be done in some
schools in the United States, but the same can be said of Australian schools.
The fact there is a zero tolerance for bullying now is great! But kids will
always find a way around it. I don’t know if bullying will ever be completely
eradicated.

11
What further do
you feel the above could and should do to either try to combat this problem
hugely – or eliminate it altogether?

A: As mentioned, I
don’t think it will ever be eliminated completely. Though, I do believe that
anyone working in the education system should be completely neutral when it
comes to their beliefs on fluid sexuality and depression. I feel as though it
plays a big part in bullying and not
just by the students. I suffered from the “Black Dog” in high school badly and
there wasn’t enough support back then. I feel that on a whole though, all parts
of the world are doing what they can to combat bullying.

12
On a personal
level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

A: I would love to be
someone that people can talk to. Share my stories and be a sounding board.
Prove to them that things get better. For one, that life is not what it is in high school. Secondly,
that you can get through any sort of bullying, whether it be in school or the
workplace.

13
What advice would
you give to someone who is experiencing this nightmare at the moment?

A: That life gets
better. It sounds trivial and something only an “old person would say”. But
it’s SO true. Life is not what it’s like in high school, some people grow up
and some don’t, but you will be the one that comes out on top. Don’t let the
bullying ruin your life, because you WILL get through it and you’ll show your bullies
that in one way or another you survived.

Again, this is the
same for bullying in the workplace. You have to take the power away from you
bully.

14What is on your
professional agenda for the rest of 2014?

A: I am starting at
Film & TV Studio International in Adelaide in October. So, that is my main
priority for the rest of this year. However, I have also written a short film
that I am trying to get funding for; that will be an additional priority for
the remainder of the year.

15
Do you have a
special message you would like to share with the world?

A: DARE TO DREAM.

16Is there anything
further you would like to add?

A: Adding to the
above:

It sounds SO
obvious, but literally DO IT. Don’t worry about the trivial day-to-day of life,
just pick what you would love to do for the rest of your life and if that’s
what you REALLY want to do; MAKE IT HAPPEN. Life is too short to live it for
other people.

Friday, August 15, 2014

FROM MY OWN HOME TOWN OF ADELAIDE (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) WE WELCOME ACTOR

BLAKE SCHIPHORST

1
Please tell us a little bit about your background;

A: I am currently nineteen years old and was
born here in Adelaide. I am currently in my second year of Uni studying a
bachelor of journalism and write for my blog ‘Laddies and Gentlewomen’ in my
spare time. I’m also working on a series of books which, at the rate I’m going,
will probably never see the light of day, but are a great creative outlet.

2
You are an actor.
Have you always wanted to be an entertainer or did you aspire to be
something else when you were growing up?

A: Acting has always been a major interest
of mine. Working on films, despite the repetitiveness, has always seemed like
so much fun to me. I suppose the allure of fame has played its part too. But,
I’ve always tried to keep my own reality in check and remind myself that even
professional actors struggle to find work. Hence, more recently anyway, acting
has been put on a bit of a back-burner and is something I pursue in my spare
time.

3Is anyone else in your family and/or friends in
entertainment?

A: I don’t really know anyone professional
in the industry, which is a pity because it would really give me a leg up.
Naturally, I have friends that I’ve met through attending different acting
schools, but they have yet to make it big.

4
Are you professionally trained in acting?

A: I’ve attended different acting schools
and studied drama throughout high school. I haven’t attended any famous
institutions in New York or anything like that though.

5
Are you professionally managed or do you represent
yourself?

A: I recently joined up with ‘Extra Edge’
which finds work for people as ‘extras’, but given I only just joined with them
a month or so ago, nothing has come out of that. So, I just represent myself
mostly.

6
Do you have a stage name?

A: No - and I don’t think the need for one
has ever really arisen. I guess I’d prefer to use my own name though, almost as
a sign of respect for my family I guess. Plus, there’d be less confusion.

7
What have you appeared in?

A: I appeared in multiple school plays,
including ‘Two Weeks with the Queen’ in year eleven when I played the lead, Colin
Mudford, and ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ in year twelve where I played Jonathan Harker
(I probably could have played Dracula, but Harker’s personality went so well
with my own). I also played Edna Turnblad in the Australia Company of
Performing Art's take on 'Hairspray'; I got to wear a wig and fat suit which was
a lot of fun! Plus, I’ve also appeared in a number of other short films that
I’ve made for school projects and one other which I helped some friends out
with. They’re all on my YouTube channel if you want to have a look: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLastStopByMe

A: I like hanging out with my friends,
listening to music and playing video games - but I’d have to say writing. Ever
since I was little, I’ve been writing fiction. I find writing to be a wonderful
form of escapism.

11Have you ever been bullied?

A: Although I’ve never been physically
bullied, I have been emotionally bullied. At the start of high school, all of
my classes were unisex. I’d had male friends growing up, but I never really had
an interest in traditionally male things, like football or cars, so I found it
difficult to connect with most of them. I’d had to deal with having paper
thrown at me (and even grapes at one point) and I was even tormented for being
‘Romanian’, -which I’m not. I’d tried ignoring them, but that never worked. In
the end, I just spent my recess and lunch breaks tucked away in the school
library, reading. Eventually, I turned to writing.

Things got better eventually - and I can’t think of why specifically. I just got
new friends I suppose and the classes eventually become co-ed.

That’s not to say I don’t still get bullied. Even now, I have supposed
‘friends’ from high school lie to me and exclude me from things. I even get
prank phone calls every now and then and I can only imagine they’re somehow
involved. Fortunately I have other friends now and the bullying doesn’t bother
me too much, because I just look at the people bullying me and realise they
must be pretty pathetic if they’ve got nothing better to do. I have self-worth
and good friends, they’ve got nothing.

12Whether you have been bullied or not, do you feel that
the governments and schools around the world are doing enough to try to combat
this problem?

A: Mental
illness, which is often perpetuated by bullying, isn’t being dealt with
adequately, as can be seen with A-list celebrities tragically ending their
lives. The current Australian Government, at least, doesn’t take mental illness
nearly as seriously as it should. I suppose schools could provide more
information on mental illness too. In regards specifically to bullying, it’s
often a manifestation of someone’s own lack of self-worth and can stem from
issues such as low socio-economic status, poor relationships within their
family and poor education. So I suppose the Government could indirectly
decrease bullying by addressing issues which could lead people to have low
self-worth.

13What further do you feel that the above could do to
either decrease this problem hugely or eliminate it altogether?

A: I
don’t believe bullying will ever cease, which is unfortunate. However, I
believe that, by providing awareness of issues such as this and showing that
anyone can be bullied, it may empower victims and encourage them to stay strong
or seek help.

14On a personal level, what would you like to do to help
in the fight against bullying?

A: I
want to show that you shouldn’t be bullied just because you don’t fit into
society’s perfect mould. My blog, ‘Laddies and Gentlewomen’ talks about gender
stereotypes and, in particular my article ‘Men + Emotions = GAY’ has a strong
anti-bullying message.

15What advice would you give to someone who is
experiencing this nightmare at the moment?

A: Bullying,
like any hardship, will make you stronger. If your friends aren’t there for
you, it means they probably don’t deserve you and you should try to find
friends elsewhere. It’s a good idea to have different groups of friends, so
that if something goes wrong with one group, you’ll always have another (just
don’t mix groups!) Also, never retaliate to bullies, it’ll only make things
worse. If you only do good, people may even begin to turn on the bully, as most
people mature as they get older and stop tolerating such negative behaviour.
And finally, USE the bullying to your advantage. If you’re an actor, remember
how the bullying made you feel to make your performance more believable. If
you’re an author, write a book out of your experiences.

16What is on your professional agenda for the rest of
2014?A: Complete
my second year of Uni and audition for any other acting jobs that come up I
suppose.

17Do you have a special message you would like to share
with the world?A: Being
a victim doesn’t make you weak, being a bully does.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

PLEASE MEET IRISH ACTOR, MODEL AND MUSICIAN

STEVEN FORDE

1
Please tell us a
little bit about your background;

A: I’m currently twenty one years of
age. I’m from a small town called Fermoy in North Cork in the Republic of
Ireland. I grew up in Tralee, County Kerry until the age of nine, where I and my
family made the move to Fermoy. I loved Kerry and always will, most of my
family are from Killarney and I would consider there to be my home away from home. I
am currently a student in the University College of Cork where I am in my last
year of my Bachelors of Commerce Degree. Music is my passion, my everything and
it’s what I want to do in life and graduating with this degree - it’s not that I
necessarily want to pursue a career in business but I believe it is the
responsible thing to do and all knowledge ascertained can only enhance the
success of my future endeavours be it my music, acting, writing etc.

2
You are a
musician and an actor. Have you always
wanted to be an entertainer or did you aspire to do something else when you
were younger?

A: I can’t think of any time where I ever wanted
to be anything truly other than a performer. Okay, maybe at times you would
watch like a cop movie or ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and you’d be like those guys
are awesome but that was just a phase. I also wanted to be a part of the 'X-Men' and 'The Fellowship of the Ring' ha. Throughout my life I’ve played sports
competitively with a love of Gaelic Football and soccer but my heart always
firmly rested in the arts. I have for as long as I can remember had the
ability to just turn on the stereo, close my eyes and really just get lost in my
own world for endless hours - without moving. It’s hard to explain the effect
music can have on someone. That feeling of transcendence it gifts you, allowing
you to be something bigger than yourself. I would listen to these artists like
Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Luke Kelly (to name a
few) and I would be in awe. These
weren’t just fantastic musicians but incredible and fascinating individuals.
They meant something to people, to the world. I suppose that’s the ultimate aspiration for
anyone, well for me anyway, that when your time comes the world will look back
on you as someone who generated change and was better off for having you in it.
James Taylor once said: ‘I believe musicians have a duty, a responsibility to reach out, to share your love or pain with others’. I hope to just stay as
honest as possible giving andshowing all aspects of myself whether it be the
good or the bad, the deep emotional side, or that wild side which I also
possess. I don’t really know how I found myself doing it through the form of
rap but it just seems to work. It allows me to show the real me and connect
with people through storytelling and imagery. I wouldn’t dare say there is any
real reason why people should listen to my music or watch my performance, I’m
not any more amazing than any other musician or performer, but I believe
everyone has different thought processes, experiences and genes which makes for
a complete unique perspective in performance, sound and story.

3
Is anyone else in
your family and/or friends in entertainment?

A: All my family are very
musical. In typical Irish fashion a family get together wouldn’t be complete
without a sing-song. My family has always been heavily involved in musicals - Killarney musical society would account for the majority of them. My
grandparents, aunts and cousins all took part in various musicals on multiple
occasions. I suppose that’s where my love of the stage came in. From an early
age I was doing pantomimes and plays which allowed me to perform numerous times
in productions in Killarney, Siamsa Tire in Tralee and Fermoy. My family and
friends have repeatedly shown me incredible support even at times where I feel
they do not understand what it is I’m trying to do or achieve. I couldn’t fault
them for misunderstanding, however, as that which I am trying to achieve is
completely alien and unprecedented to them. There were periods where I feel
like I was just trying to find myself and often over indulged in alcohol or
misbehaved, during these moments my friends showed exceptional patience and
stood by me. People may stray apart for whatever reason but I read a beautiful quote before that said: ‘We
all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go,we take a little
of each other everywhere’. I honestly believe I wouldn’t be the person I am
today if it wasn’t for them and whatever success I may achieve in life they can
derive some responsibility for it.

4
Are you professionally
managed or do you represent yourself?

A: Currently I’m representing myself. I
would be open to the idea of management in the future but it would have to be
the right fit. I think it’s important that he/she would have a similar vision
of what I want to achieve and where I want to take this.

5
What do you enjoy
doing in your spare time?

A: Seeing as I’m in college at
the moment, any spare time is really just dedicated to my music. I try and
devote whatever is left in the day to writing, producing and recording new
songs. I enjoy working out and try to do so as much as possible - I feel it’s
important to keep my energy levels up and clear the head. Other than that I
might catch a movie every now and again and hang out with friends.

6
Do you have a
stage name?

A: I never felt the need to. I
think when I set out on this I did so with the premise of being completely
honest and truthful to the audience, revealing all of me and not hide behind a
mask. I would look to the greats such as MichaelJackson, Paul McCartney, John
Lennon etc. none of whom needed a stage
name. I really don’t have anything against people who use stage names, with a
lot of them being favourite artists of mine, but I don’t know just as an Irish
man I’m proud of who I am and if I make it I want to make it for being myself.

7
Have you ever
been bullied?

A: I can thankfully say no.
Where I grew up I was very lucky - in school we had such a close-knit class all
the way through, everyone helped each other out. Okay we would still have that
mocking banter going on like in any school but people knew when it was too far
and if someone was going to get hurt. I think sometimes it might be different
for guys or maybe it was just my class but if there was any ill-feeling between
two students, a little bit of punching and jostling and it would be all over.
Two female students the same age however could be radically hurtful and mean
spirited to each other. I may not have
experienced it myself but through observation and the age of social media you
can see the horrible effects it has on others. It’s a very real and potent
epidemic which exists in our society.

8
Whether you have
been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the
world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

A: Unfortunately I don’t think
they are. There are many cases where children are too afraid to go to school
and their education is affected. Trauma a child could endure from bullying can
very well haunt him/her right into adulthood where their quality of life is
reduced and they aren’t enjoying all that life has to offer. You have to be
careful too at the same time, as on the other side of the scale you don’t want
to shelter a child so much where they aren’t prepared for sometimes hard and
difficult experiences that arrive as they get older. The key is to find the
right balance where ultimately each child can grow up in an environment which
encourages learning and harmonious living. I wish I had the one golden solution
as to how we would go about this but I feel every school and community has
different pupils and children and a different method must be applied to each
accordingly.

9
What more do you
feel that the above could do to try to either decrease this problem hugely – or
eliminate it altogether?

A: With relation to the
previous question I’m honestly unaware of any fool-proof method to decrease
bullying. I am of the belief no child is born to hate it is installed in us
from those before us, so I would really just encourage all parents and
parents-to-be now to preach and teach patience and kindness for others. Show
what it is to be a kind person and set a good example. Other than that maybe
more group exercises where the children are forced to work as teams, hence form
a bond etc.

10
On a personal
level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

A: I suppose all I can do is
spread awareness continuously and try to lead by example. I can only promise to
never knock someone else and show compassion for those who have been wronged by
others. If there are those who are suffering if they contact me through my
facebook page, twitter or email I’d be more than willing to talk to them and
let them know they have a friend. I’d love nothing more than to get to know the
person and show support on a more personal level.

11
What advice would
you give to someone who is suffering through this nightmare at the moment?

A: It’ll get better. The
greatest thing you can do to combat a bully is raise your head and keep
smiling. Show them no fear - they can only hurt you as much as you let them. Know that somewhere there is someone who is
suffering the exact same thing - you are not alone.

12
What is on your
professional agenda for the rest of 2014?

A: I’m finishing my last year
of college and I’m going to just write, record and release as much music as I
possibly can. This year is really all about raising my profile and putting
myself on the radar of as many people as possible. There’ll be a few side
ventures as well - hopefully with a couple acting projects on the cards and I’m
currently planning on writing a screenplay, so who knows. Next year I hope to
graduate and begin production of my first studio album.

13
Is there anything
else you would like to include in this interview?

A: This is for a great cause
and I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to help in the fight and
spread awareness.

14
Do you have a
special message you would like to share with the world?

About Me

Lannah was born in South Australia in 1955, and raised on "Pitcairn Station". Her primary education was provided by School of the Air and correspondence lessons, followed by boarding school in Adelaide. Later, she went on to hold a variety of positions in Adelaide and then in other states.
After travelling overseas she returned home via Western Australia and decided to settle there. Lannah and her husband, Stuart, have two daughters, Robyn and Fiona, both in their twenties.
Lannah works full time. She is passionate about her family, animals, the outback of Australia, and writing, among many other interests.